Good business sense

Published: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 4:25 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 4:25 p.m.

Some people mistakenly believe that coastal restoration is an issue that matters only to academics and environmental activists.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The broad appeal of coastal restoration — the benefits of embracing it and the disadvantages that will surely follow if nothing is done — can be seen across our vibrant communities.

From our festivals to our most influential businesses, coastal restoration is a cause that is embraced because it makes good sense to our culture, our economy and our future.

That is why more than 120 businesses recently signed a letter asking the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to embark on large-scale coastal projects with whatever fine money it recovers from the BP oil spill litigation.

That is a great start.

Any broad-based change such as successful coastal restoration will require the cooperation of businesses, individuals, academic institutions and experts.

Local signers of the letter included the Bayou Industrial Group, Thibodaux’s Duplantis Design Group, the South Central Industrial Association, Phylway Construction in Thibodaux and Ted M. Falgout and Associates in Larose.

The first money that will go into the Gulf Coast restoration fund established by the Restore Act could be available by the end of April, so the question of what to do with it is timely and important.

Transocean has reached a $1 billion settlement with the federal government, but BP’s part of the litigation remains open, leaving legal observers to estimate its eventual fine at $5 billion to $20 billion.

That kind of money will make a great down payment on the work that must be done to protect the future ability of people to live close to the Gulf of Mexico.

It will also, as a happy side-effect, create a great deal of business and generate billions in revenue along the coast.

“Thanks to the resources made available through the Restore Act, there is an unprecedented opportunity to restore the Gulf, to strengthen our traditional industries, create new economic mobility and accelerate emerging markets that center on environmental restoration,” the letter says.

Coastal restoration and its sister cause, flood protection, are two branches of the same tree — enhancing our future safety. It is great to see the business community recognize and embrace the cause of restoration, which will have a lot of say over how the future looks to the people and businesses that call south Louisiana home.

<p>Some people mistakenly believe that coastal restoration is an issue that matters only to academics and environmental activists.</p><p>Nothing could be farther from the truth.</p><p>The broad appeal of coastal restoration — the benefits of embracing it and the disadvantages that will surely follow if nothing is done — can be seen across our vibrant communities.</p><p>From our festivals to our most influential businesses, coastal restoration is a cause that is embraced because it makes good sense to our culture, our economy and our future.</p><p>That is why more than 120 businesses recently signed a letter asking the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to embark on large-scale coastal projects with whatever fine money it recovers from the BP oil spill litigation.</p><p>That is a great start.</p><p>Any broad-based change such as successful coastal restoration will require the cooperation of businesses, individuals, academic institutions and experts.</p><p>Local signers of the letter included the Bayou Industrial Group, Thibodaux's Duplantis Design Group, the South Central Industrial Association, Phylway Construction in Thibodaux and Ted M. Falgout and Associates in Larose.</p><p>The first money that will go into the Gulf Coast restoration fund established by the Restore Act could be available by the end of April, so the question of what to do with it is timely and important.</p><p>Transocean has reached a $1 billion settlement with the federal government, but BP's part of the litigation remains open, leaving legal observers to estimate its eventual fine at $5 billion to $20 billion.</p><p>That kind of money will make a great down payment on the work that must be done to protect the future ability of people to live close to the Gulf of Mexico.</p><p>It will also, as a happy side-effect, create a great deal of business and generate billions in revenue along the coast.</p><p>“Thanks to the resources made available through the Restore Act, there is an unprecedented opportunity to restore the Gulf, to strengthen our traditional industries, create new economic mobility and accelerate emerging markets that center on environmental restoration,” the letter says.</p><p>Coastal restoration and its sister cause, flood protection, are two branches of the same tree — enhancing our future safety. It is great to see the business community recognize and embrace the cause of restoration, which will have a lot of say over how the future looks to the people and businesses that call south Louisiana home.</p><p>Editorials represent the opinions of</p><p>the newspaper, not of any individual.</p>